This invention relates to enclosures for musical instruments, particularly guitars, when the instrument is not being used.
When a musical instrument, such as a guitar, is not being used, it may be placed on a stand to hold the instrument in an upright position. When it rests unused for a period of time, the instrument will collect dust from the air that circulates in the room. Dust can collect on the fret board, on the body, on the strings and can even pass into the interior through the sound hole. It is possible for dust to find a way into the electronic pick ups and controls of the guitar. All of this is clearly undesirable.
Guitars are of different types, such as acoustic guitars, classical guitars, hollow body electric guitars and solid body electric guitars. Older, high quality guitars are known to be collectors' items and are highly prized. Furthermore, many musicians and collectors of guitars have multiple guitars. Many guitars such as Gibson or Fender guitars may have a value of tens of thousands of dollars. As a consequence, guitar owners may seek methods and devices to protect their instrument such as by use of a guitar dust cover.
One known guitar dust cover is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 6,441,288. In this patent, a guitar cover is provided that is tent or teepee shaped and is designed to have the instrument covered such as when resting in an upright position on a support stand. Although the disclosed cover does offer some protection for the guitar from dust collection, the cover does not allow for viewing by the musician or owner of the guitar, particularly when it may be a collectors' item. The guitar cover of the '288 patent does not have a provision for viewing the guitar, such as a clear panel or flexible window for viewing. The owners of multiple guitars thus need to open multiple protective covers to locate the particular guitar that they wish to play or display for viewing by third parties.
Therefore, a need exists to provide an enclosure or cover for guitars or other such musical instruments wherein the cover not only protects the guitar from unwanted handling and dust collection on the guitar, but to also allow the instrument(s) to be viewed by the musician or displayed to third parties.